Prophecy

Prologue

It was merely supposed to be a bedtime story to Son Goten as he waited eagerly for his father to come into the room. Ever since the defeat of Majin Buu, the boy had wanted to hear his father's stories, but the Earth-raised Saiya-jin had been occupied.

That was until that night.

"So sport, what kind of story would you like me to tell you?" Goku questioned with a rather playful grin on his face. He had no idea what stories his eldest son had told the young boy, but if Goten didn't mind hearing them again from his own dad, then he was all for it.

"Can you tell me the story on how you went Super Saiya-jin 3?" Goten asked in a pleading and rather excited look on his face. The smile faded from Goku's face and he seemed to hesitate; almost though he had been worried about something. At first, the young boy thought he had said something wrong, but then, the smile returned to his father's face.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt telling you," Goku admitted with a chuckle. Goten snuggled underneath the blankets and looked at his father wide-eyed. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin sat down on the edge of the boy's bed and began his story.

"It happened six months ago, before Majin Buu came into the picture…"

A fist flew at Goku as he narrowly dodged the blow from one of the warriors he had been sparring with. He had not attempted to transform into a Super Saiya-jin since he wanted to test his speed and limberness without having to resort to a level that could easily negate any of the other fighter's attacks. He was eager to counter-attack, to prove that he would not go down so easily.

"Goku!" King Kai's voice suddenly called from afar. He stopped suddenly and he looked towards the deity with a look of surprise and confusion. For the moment, he thought his mentor had once again managed to get him involved with another warrior to fight with, but he saw no one besides the martial arts master.

"What is it King Kai?" Goku flew away from the fighter, with a promise to continue the match later on when he was not occupied. After all, it could have been another attack or anything that King Kai would have wanted him to do to further his training and get stronger for the next tournament.

"I have a request from the Grand Kai. You are to escort the Queen of Fate to a temple located in the Orion quadrant of Other World. During this, you are not to dare look at her face for if you do, you will be punished."

"Punished?" Despite the warning, Goku was clueless about how he could be punished. After all, he was the savior of Earth. What could be the worst that could happen?

"Just heed my advice and refrain from doing it!" King Kai snapped. "She will be here in about ten minutes."

"Great! That's enough time to get something to eat!" Goku walked off. Little did the naïve warrior know, King Kai face vaulted from the idea of him getting a meal before their guest could arrive.

"Daddy, are you alright?" Goten noticed that Goku absentmindedly rubbed his right shoulder almost though it had been injured.

"Oh, I'm fine. It's just a little sore," Goku faintly smiled. "Besides, it acts up every now and then."

"Oh, as long as it's not hurting you or anything," Goten smiled.

A thin veil covered the Queen of Fate's feminine face. She wore a pure white tunic and white pants. A silver belt was clasped at her waist and her bare feet grazed against the grass. She also had silver bracelets that jingled melodically around her wrists. Her silver hair fell to her ankles and was braided in various strands; some thick, some thin and others in between.

Stopping short of Goku, who at the time was finishing his seventeenth serving, she cleared her throat in order to get his attention. The sloppy eater glanced up and almost looked at her face when he was shoved back down by King Kai; a nervous gaze upon the deity's face from his student nearly blowing his chance.

"I assume that's my guide to the temple," the female spoke rather disgusted at the first impression she received.

"I'm sorry, but the others were busy dealing with the havoc in hell," King Kai explained.

"I suppose it's better than nothing," she raised a finger and gently began to draw a series of glyphs in the air. The very symbols morphed into a collar. "Put this on my guide and we'll go."

"Huh?" Goku felt the collar put around his neck as it pulsed with an unnatural energy. He felt it almost restrict the blood circulation before he felt a tug.

"Time is wasting. I must reach the temple before nightfall." The mysterious woman beckoned. Goku noticed that a silver chain linked the black collar to his neck. He tugged at it, but it refused to budge. "Until your duty is finished, you are not permitted to remove what I placed upon you."

"Well, it's a little uncomfortable…" Goku complained.

"Deal with it and let's be off." She began to walk and Goku followed, rather uneasy about the situation he managed to get himself into.

"So, how much further until we reach this temple?" Goku asked.

"If you must know, we have only to go across this bridge," the Queen of Fate waved her hand towards the grayish stone bridge that stood before them. It was covered in a thick veil of fog; so thick that it seemed almost impenetrable. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin was astounded by this oddity before he felt a tug on the chain; forcing him to follow her again. The fog began to swirl around her body and had it not been for the chain, he would have lost her almost instantly. In the blinding mist, he felt isolated from everyone despite what he felt around his neck. It felt like days before it cleared entirely and he stood before a majestic temple.

"Wow…" Goku drank in the sight of the temple. Unlike the ones on Earth, this one was composed of the purist ivory towers, beautiful panes of stained glass depicting ancient battles between the gods and demons, and silver rooftops. Twin golden doors seemed to stand between them and what lay within.

"Well, thank you very much for your service, Son Goku," the Queen of Fate began to undo the collar. He looked down and noticed her face for the first time completely exposed. It was then that anger filled her eyes and he took a step backwards. A vision, a horrible future awaited the Earth and he saw it explode from a mysterious creature.

"No… the Earth…" Goku growled; his chi sparking as it began to climb. Before her eyes, he had transcended into a Super Saiya-jin and easily ascended. The very fog that once draped over the bridge suddenly lifted from the unnatural power that he emitted. His hair spilled down his back in golden locks before the transformation was completed. Brow less eyes glared at her in such frustration and helplessness.

A hiss of pain escaped Goku's lips as he suddenly fell off Goten's bed clutching his right shoulder.

"Daddy!" Goten emerged from beneath the covers and went down to where his father was before he noticed something wriggling behind the warrior. "Ah! What's that?"

"My tail?" Goku glanced back and noticed the extra appendage that he had lost long ago. He had nearly forgotten that he used to have one and seemed happy for a fleeting moment.

"Something returned to you," a feminine voice spoke in an icy tone. Goku glanced behind him and noticed the queen standing in his room, "that you have forgotten. As your punishment, I shall take something of least importance to you."

"What? Wait!" The queen vanished before Goku's eyes. Suddenly, he heard a female scream before he realized what the queen had taken. "Oh no! Chi-chi!"

To Be Continued…